Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Chocolate Cherry Cookies are an old family tradition for us.  I remember my grandmother and my mother making them at Christmas.  They are a chocolate cake-style cookie with nuts and maraschino cherries covered with a powdered sugar icing.  These cookies really add a pop of color to a holiday cookie tray.  They are also a great cookie for Valentine's Day.  

Since my mom's death, I had wanted to make a batch of these to bring back some memories of her in the kitchen.  Jack helped me make these this week one morning before school.  

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 t salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup flour
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, cut in half

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs.  Add melted chocolate.  Mix in remaining ingredients.

Drop by tablespoon on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375F.  Original recipe says 15 minutes, but mine baked in about 9 minutes.

Make icing using powdered sugar and liquid from jar of cherries.

Linking with: 

Meal Plan Monday 

Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday  

Full Plate Thursday  

Grace At Home 

Weekend Potluck 

​Foodie Friday 

Friday Frenzy 

Snickerdoodle Sunday

Fudge

Grace and Jack had "make fudge" on their holiday bucket list.  So we made fudge on Sunday night.

I think this might be the first time I've made fudge.  My mom used to make it, and there are certainly lots of variations on the recipe.  I found this recipe on the back of the Kraft Marshmallow fluff.

The recipe was really easy...don't let the use of a candy thermometer turn you off.  Really you just boil the mixture for 4 minutes and then you just check to make sure it has reached 234F.

Also, the recipe called for one 9x9 pan.  I felt this would make very thick fudge.  So I used two 8x8 pans.  It made a really nice size of small squares of fudge.  That is just right for something so rich.

Here's the recipe...

3 c sugar
3/4 c butter
1 5oz can evaporated milk
12 oz semisweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
1 jar marshmallow fluff
1 tsp vanilla

Line 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234°F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

ADD chocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Add vanilla; mix well.

POUR into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting into squares.

Thanksgiving Recipes Round Up

Here is a listing of Thanksgiving recipes from previous years.  Enjoy!

Turkey and Gravy

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Sweet Potato Casserole

PW's Mashed Potatoes

PW's Mac and Cheese

Cranberry Sauce

Pecan Pie

Cheese Ball

Dinner Rolls

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

photo from myrecipes.com

Good luck finding canned cranberry sauce here in England.  And fresh tastes much better anyway.  Here's the recipe I used for Thanksgiving this year, straight from my trusted Southern Living cookbook.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
12 oz fresh cranberries
1 T grated orange rind
1 T orange juice
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Add cranberries, rind, and juice.  Return to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in pecans.  Cover and chill.

PW's Mashed Potatoes

Have you noticed that many of my posts begin with "PW?"  Pioneer Woman gives me lots of inspiration through both her website and cookbooks.

This year I added her mashed potatoes to my Thanksgiving menu.  Yum!  I liked her recipe because it was a make-ahead style dish that I could heat at the last minute with all the other casseroles.  It was delicious and super easy.  I lightened it up just a little from her original recipe.  I also cut the recipe in half for our group of 4 adults and 2 children at Thanksgiving.

• 5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 3/4 cups Butter
• 1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half (I used whole milk.)
• 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt (I used regular salt since I didn't have Lawry's)
• 1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. 

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.  (I just drained them and mashed in a bowl with a mixer.)

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter (I didn't add quite the full amount of butter), an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.  

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

PW's Cinnamon Rolls

One of our Christmas traditions is cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.  Back in the good ole USA, I tried some homemade rolls one year.  The recipe I used (or my cooking technique) was not even as good as the Grands refrigerated cinnamon rolls.  So for many years we had yummy Grands cinnamon rolls for Christmas breakfast.  Certainly nothing to complain about!!

Fast forward to our Christmas here in England.  There are no refrigerated cinnamon rolls!  So for the last few years I have made Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for breakfast on our special day.

Cooking with yeast is not very difficult!

Homemade cinnamon rolls are the ultimate comfort food...rich, buttery, and sweet.  Don't be afraid (like I was) to try a yeast-bread recipe.  Baking with yeast is no big deal...add it to a warm liquid, mix, and let the dough rise.

Here are some pictures from baking the cinnamon rolls this Christmas with my special assistant.  Grace did many of the steps all by herself.  The recipe follows, although you can click over to Pioneer Woman for a printable version and all her helpful notes.

One last note...this recipe makes LOTS of pans of cinnamon rolls.  I think we made 5 round pans.  They are easy to freeze (fully baked and frosted).  Then just thaw and put in the oven (low heat - maybe 250F) for about 15 minutes.

The dough before it rises

The dough after it rises for awhile.  You divide it in half in order to roll it into large rectangles.

Roll the dough out into a big rectangle.  Be careful not to make it to thin, as this leads to floppy cinnamon rolls in the pan.  (I made this mistake on one batch.)

Lots of butter and sugar

The recipe calls for melted butter.  I partially melted it so it wouldn't run out when I rolled it up.

Lots of cinnamon

Rolling it up

A pan ready for baking

The icing - milk, powdered sugar and vanilla.  I don't add coffee as the recipe calls for.

Baked rolls

The final product

Dough:

• 1 quart whole milk 
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
• 9 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 scant teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon salt

Filling:

• 2 cups melted butter, plus more as needed  (I softened mine in microwave just til spreadable)
• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
• 2 cups sugar, plus more as needed

Maple Icing:

• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee (omitted)
• Dash of salt
• 1 tablespoon maple flavoring or maple extract (I used vanilla)

Directions

For the dough: Heat the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.

Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, and then cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (I chilled for a few hours, but I think dough would work better after chilling overnight.)

To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 by 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.

For the filling: Pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter. Don't be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.

Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don't worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you're finished, you'll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.  (This may be hard to believe, but these rolls were almost TOO rich for me.  I might add a little less butter and sugar next time.)

Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and, with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One "log" will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into disposable foil cake pans and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd. (Each pan will hold 7 to 9 rolls.)

Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking.

Remove the towel and bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Don't allow the rolls to become overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the maple icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee and salt. Splash in the maple flavoring. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.

Pecan Pie

from Karo syrup website

I knew Pecan Pie would be a special treat for Thanksgiving, especially since it is Michael's favorite pie.  I had to hunt down some imported Karo syrup, but everything else was easy to find.  It is such a simple recipe and hard to go wrong!  It is straight from the back of the Karo syrup.

Turkey and Gravy

This year for Thanksgiving we made not one but TWO turkeys.  After surfing the internet looking for a great recipe, I stumbled upon She Wears Many Hats.  The photos of her turkey looked moist and delicious, so that was my pick.

Photo added in 2014.  It was delicious again!

We made Mayonnaise Roasted Turkey with gravy.  I was busy cooking and didn't snap a picture of the turkey, but it looked and tasted great!

TURKEY

12-14 lb. whole turkey
6-7 fresh sage leaves, rough chopped
5-6 fresh thyme stems
2-3 springs of rosemary
2-3 springs of oregano
1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons coarse salt
1-2 tablespoons pepper
3 stalks celery, rough chopped
1 large onion, rough chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, salted



1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Lay turkey in a roasting pan.
3. Remove leaves from herbs stems. Add sage, thyme, rosemary, and oregano to mayonnaise;
combine well. Rub mayonnaise/herb mixture all over bird - in and out.
4. Salt and pepper turkey. Add the celery, and onion, inside and out, and tuck the butter in
the cavity.
5. Roast turkey in 450°F oven for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F, and insert the meat
thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful not to touch bone. Continue roasting,
uncovered, until internal thermometer reaches 160°F. Cover legs with foil partway through roasting
if desired. Total cook time is about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Remove from oven. Cover with foil and let rest for at least 20-30 minutes (depending on size)
before carving.

GRAVY

drippings from 12-14 pound Roasted Turkey
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
salt and pepper


1.  Skim off most of the fat. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes stovetop, stirring occasionally. Use a
slotted spoon to remove celery, onion, and any large pieces of drippings. Continue to simmer.
2. Combine flour and broth or water in a small mason jar with a lid; shake it up to combine. Gradually
whisk in the flour/liquid mixture into the drippings until smooth. Lower temperature.
3. Add salt and pepper, and any other seasonings to taste. Whisk well.

*I added more chicken broth to the gravy.  I also strained the gravy in a strainer after step 1.

Ranch Cheese Ball

For our Thanksgiving celebration this year, I made a cheeseball using a recipe and idea from the blog Gluesticks.  Here cheeseball is so cute with a turkey head crafted out of felt.  Grace made ours with cardboard.  Easy and very tasty!

3 packages cream cheese
1 package dry ranch mix
3 1/2 c. shredded cheese (any variety)
1/3 c. diced green onion
2 c toasted almond slices

Mash cream cheese in a bowl.  Add next 3 ingredients. Form into a ball.  Roll in nuts.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

 (UK note:  British cream cheese is not as solid as American, so make sure to give plenty of time to chill.)

Sweet Potato Casserole

Photo from My Recipes.com

Dara made this sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, and it was the best I've ever made BY FAR.  Delicious!  This will be my new go-to recipe for the holidays!

• Potatoes:
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/4 cup evaporated low-fat milk 
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs 
• Cooking spray 
• Topping:
• 1 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup) 
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons melted butter 
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 2. To prepare potatoes, place potatoes in a Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Cool 5 minutes.
• 3. Place potatoes in a large bowl; add granulated sugar, evaporated milk, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well. Pour potato mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking pan coated with cooking spray.
• 4. To prepare topping, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, brown sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; stir with a whisk. Stir in 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over potato mixture; arrange pecans evenly over top. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or just until golden.
• 5. Preheat broiler (remove casserole from oven).
• 6. Broil casserole 45 seconds or until topping is bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

This recipe is a winner!  Moist and delicious with the added tartness of cranberries.  This recipe is from Libby's Pumpkin on All Recipes.com.  The only change I made was to use Craisins instead of fresh cranberries.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (CRAISINS)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
2. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
3. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Cherry Orange Delight Jello

What holiday meal is complete without the traditional Jello dish?  This was very tasty!  It is from the Kraft website.

2-1/2 cups boiling water

3 pkg.  (4-serving size each) JELL-O Cherry Flavor Gelatin

2-3/4 cups cold water

1 can  (15 oz.) DOLE Mandarin Orange Segments, drained

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tbsp.  sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

TIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix in medium bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1-1/4 hours or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Reserve a few orange segments for garnish. Gently stir remaining orange segments into gelatin; set aside.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in separate medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in whipped topping. Spoon into 2-1/2-qt. serving bowl; cover with gelatin mixture.

REFRIGERATE 2 hours or until firm. Top with the reserved orange segments. Store in refrigerator.

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Since we only had 4 adults at our Thanksgiving table this year, I cooked a turkey breast instead of the whole bird. Last year I used an Emeril recipe for my turkey breast. It was good, but it involved a lot of bacon. I was ready for a change this year, so I tried a recipe for Herb Roasted Turkey Breast from Ina Garten aka the Barefoot Contessa. It was the BEST turkey I have ever had! It was so moist and tender, with lots of flavor from the herbs. Best of all, the only added fat was the olive oil in the rub. I used a boneless turkey breast, but that was just kind of an accident. It would be good either way! 

1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 6 1/2 to 7 pounds

1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves) 

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves 

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons good olive oil 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1 cup dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste. Loosen the skin from the meat gently with your fingers and smear half of the paste directly on the meat. Spread the remaining paste evenly on the skin. Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the breast. (I test in several places.) If the skin is over-browning, cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve with the pan juices spooned over the turkey.

(The boneless turkey breast took almost 2 hours, so I imagine the bone-in would be 2+ hours.)